After Valentines
by Deezaster82
Summary: Being what he has to be, Germany is almost perfect. If he had one flaw, it would be his lack of memory. Twice in his life he made severe mistakes because of that little problem of his. Warning: Yaoi, Dark!Italy. One sided Ger/Ita; One sided Pru/Ger.
1. Chapter 1

Title: After Valentines

Chapter: Prologue

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: K

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: One sided-Germany/Italy, Others pairings (you will see, haha!)

Warning: Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts. Probably some mature events in next chapters.

Grammar/Spelling mistakes due to English not being my first language. Corrections are welcome.

Disclaimer: Heh, the usual stuff: Hetalia is not mine but the idea for this fanfic is, so no stealing, kay?

Prologue

In appearance, he is impressive: Tall, large at the shoulders. His face is knife-shaped, stern yet beautiful, his blue eyes seems cold like ice- sometimes it can melt- and his voice is low, strong, tuned for authority.

The image he gives of himself is not a hazard, It's no accident!

He has to be like that. He is no common human even if he look like one. He's too perfect, made of smooth lines, curves and sharp angles, handsome, just like a drawing. Maybe it is because he has been drawn, thought and made, by the men and women who are his peoples since then.

He is no man, he's the embodiment of the spirit of a nation.

He is Germany.

This is his main occupation: Being Germany and act, react, work for his peoples, his boss, his economy, everything that makes a nation go on and improve.

But Germany is not always Germany. When the working day is over, he is only Ludwig and Ludwig is human from head to toe, brain and heart.

Ludwig has dreams that doesn't concern the nation he represents, he has dreams for himself too.

But inevitably, he always have to forget them.

For the sake of being Germany.

Being what he has to be, Germany has almost no flaw. He is disciplined, hard-worker, intelligent, courageous, Altruist, very patient and everything the spirit of a strong nation like Germany should be.

If he had one flaw, it would be his lack of memory. Twice in his life he made severe mistakes because of that little problem of his.

The first time, he forgot himself.

He could not remember who he was before Germany. No one could blame him: Holy roman Empire

was dissolved in 1806, spirit splits in 300 provinces, to eventually become 'Germany' in 1871, as the first unification occurred to give him a new life at last, thanks to the one whom he called his brother: The kingdom of Prussia.

Germany's memory was blank then, and no one judged necessary to tell him about memories he no longer had.

They thought it would not matter and, if anything, it would be even good for the new nation to start anew. A new mind for a new spirit of a new nation.

Austria, France, Prussia, Hungary.

Those who had known Holy Roman Empire buried his memory and stopped to be worried about Germany's amnesia.

Maybe it was because no one knew about Holy Roman Empire's promise. The one he had made a long time ago to another nation: The northern part of Italy, a sweet person called Feliciano Vargas whom the Young Empire loved to bits.

They were still so young when Holy Roman Empire confessed his love to Italy. He had to leave then and promised he would come back to his loved one.

The day before he died, Italy wasn't even hoping for his return anymore.

Germany did not remember any of this and no one could have possibly reminded him.

Except Italy.

The day Germany met Italy, he didn't recognize him. Would have the boy of his past recognized his loved one, whom he has thought was a girl? Probably yes.

But Germany did not recognize him.

The second time Germany's memory failed him was in the year 1942.

This was really not the time to have memory failure though, Germany was at war with the rest of the world!

But Ludwig forgot he was Germany, he forgot the fact he wasn't a human.

And he allowed himself to do the most foolish thing a nation could ever do: He fell in love.

The feeling, that new, freshly born emotion, has gravitated around his mind and heart for quite a time. Lingering, brushing against the borders of his conscious, but never noticed until that one day.

Until _He _gave him those red roses.

The 14 th February 1942, Italy offered Germany a bouquet of red roses.

They had been friends for long and now allies in that war that was tearing the world apart.

Italy was Germany's opposite: He was, in appearance, lightheaded and clumsy, lazy and unfocused.

But also, he was like a little sunshine, never lacked energy, was always hungry-though he was a gourmet and liked Italian food only- and he was always smiling.

And even those who despised him could not deny the fact that he was beautiful. Cute, charming, friendly, no one could thoroughly hate Italy.

Most of the time, Germany considered him to be a pain! Italy never listened to orders, always wanted to have a siesta in the middle of the work day and skipped trainings whenever he had the occasion.

In warfare, he was useless. Despite of Germany's hard and long trainings, Italy was never able to fight properly. And that, mostly because he didn't want to!

Italy wanted peace and knew that war wasn't the right way to get it.

Because he was defenseless, he always had to rely on Germany to protect him and save him from dangerous situations. No matter the hour of the day, Germany would run to Italy's help whenever he called.

Germany never realized how Italy was unfair to him.

Germany would have lift mountains for Italy, his only friend would have asked. But, in return of the constant protection, Italy never lifted a finger for Germany. Twice in the first and second world war, he betrayed him.

Ludwig forgave him every time. He oversaw all the mistakes and looked past all the flaws. Blinded by his feelings, he could only see the good in him.

Until...

After Valentine.

**Author note**: This is only a prologue. There will be more introspection in next chapters and other pairings too.

Do not hesitate to comment and criticize (wisely)


	2. Forgotten again

Title: After Valentines

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: K+

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: One sided-Germany/Italy, Others pairings (you will see, haha!)

Warning: Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts. Probably some mature events in next chapters.

Grammar/Spelling mistakes due to English not being my first language. Corrections are welcome.

Disclaimer: Heh, the usual stuff: Hetalia is not mine but the idea for this fanfic is, so no stealing, kay?

_Rose_

_Je lis tous les romans à l'eau de rose_

_Je souligne des passages au crayon rose_

( Pink

I 've been reading romance, written in pink

I underlines sentences with a pink pencil)

_Le bonheur m'obsède à la névrose _

_La nuit a du gris, je remet du rose_

( Happiness is my sick obcession

Night is grey, I paint it pink)

_Sur sa bouche, je pose_

_Mes deux lèvres roses_

(On his mouth I place

My two pink lips)

_Je l'aime car il suppose_

_qu'aimer est toujours rose_

_Qu'aimer est toujours rose..._

(I love him because he thinks

That love is always sweet

That love is always sweet)

After Valentines, Chapter one.

If Italy could have explained the flowers, there was no excuse that came to his mind when Germany pulled out the ring.

-" I had it made the shape of a tomato for you."

The piece of jewelry looked downright ridiculous, yet quite expensive. Veneziano stared at it, speechless for a few seconds. Of course he did understand the meaning behind this peculiar gift but he couldn't figure out 'why' Germany would want what he was now silently asking his ally.

Italy tried to speak, to tell him how wrong this was. But he didn't get the occasion to formulate a polite answer, he found himself crushed in an iron and clumsy embrace, tight enough to actually cause him pain. He yelped

Every set of eyes in the restaurant turned toward them. Peoples stared, chocked, and Italy was feeling humiliated.

_We have not even eaten yet! _He thought sadly, tears running down his cheeks due to the painful way Germany was holding him and the confusion in his mind.

_Why is he doing this to me? Haven't I apologized enough already?_

Germany's grip suddenly went slack. Italy looked at him, ready to talk at least, but he realized that the German would probably not listen.

Germany had a strange look, hazed eyes staring in the void, mouth slightly agape and...Was it real smoke that was coming out of his ears?

-" Germany? Hey hey Germany! Say something!" Italy shock him a little. It was like he was talking to a puppet- One of those you can find in clothes shops. The tall blond was stiff and still, he didn't even seem to breathe at all.

Veneziano was starting to think that he was probably dead when blue eyes blinked, once, then twice.

It was like awakening from a dream, the memory of it lingering in the back of his conscious, threatening to fade away at any moment. What happened? He wondered, trying to cling to the memory. It was blurred now, but he knew it hasn't been a dream, or he could have said: "I dreamed of my childhood". The thing is that he didn't remember his childhood at all.

It has been a lost memory, the first of that kind he ever had since the day he lost the memory of his young self.

What was it again?

Too late! Now it was gone. He only knew one thing: He had known of love before.

Now the strange haze had faded in his mind and he was forced to deal with the reality of his situation. His eyes focused on Italy. The boy was still in front of him, staring at him worriedly.

-" Aah..Es tut mir leit...Err...I'm sorry!" He said in a mix of German and English, shaking his head to get rid of the confusion still present in his mind.

-" Ve! Germany is really weird today!" Italy replied, a bit at lost for words after what had just happened. He realized he was still holding the ring's coffin in his hand.

-" Why did Germany give me this?" He asked with false innocence, tilting his head to one side for more impression.

Germany looked at the ring, then back at Italy.

-"I...Don't you understand what it means?" He asked lowly, not finding the courage to say it himself.

Italy nodded and looked else where. " My boss never told me about this. Is that an order from yours?"

-" Was? What do you mean?"

-" Has Germany's boss ordered Germany to annex Italy?"

Ludwig's mouth fell open and no words came out. The enormity of his mistake striking him like a ton of bricks on the head. He had forgotten what he was- how stupid! - for the sake of his human feelings. The implications of what he had wanted to do came to him and he remembered that they were both nations. Not humans, nations!

When a nation wed another, it's called annexation, not marriage.

And it has usually nothing to do with love.

Germany resisted the urge to facepalm, run away or shot a bullet through his own head. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been to get so confused by a feeling he shouldn't be allowed to feel, a life he could never have, an union that could not exist. Not now, probably never.

-" Italy...I'm...I..."

He almost prayed for the Earth to swallow him whole, for aliens to come and abduct him right there, right then, anything to avoid the unbearable situation he was in.

The supposed alien attack came in the form of Austria- good old Austria- who entered the restaurant at that moment, together with Hungary.

-" Deutschland, Italia..." The aristocrat walked toward them calmly and nodded at Italy as a greeting. " I'm sorry to interrupt, Ludwig, but I think you should follow us back home"

( Hungary gave a kind smile to her young friend" Hello Ita-chan!" and Italy smiled back at her)

Germany just nodded, leaving now was the best he could do to avoid clumsy explanations and further humiliation.

He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible but pride- and Austria- wouldn't allow him to run out of the restaurant.

Roderick put his hand on Germany' shoulder and squeezed a little, silently asking him to move.

-" Bye Italy" he half-mumbled as he was pushed out calmly.

-" Ciao Germany!" Italy waved at him, smiling his usual cheerful smile.

Once the group had passed the restaurant doors and was out of sight, Italy's smile disappeared and he went back to sit at his table, not caring about the glances thrown his way. Pushing flowers and ring aside, he fetched the waiter almost rudely.

-" I want some pasta. Pronto!" He said coldly, not a trace of cheerfulness on his face as he gave the menu back to the -still chocked- waiter.

Later on, he would call _him_ to tell _him _what Germany had done and how disappointed he was of his friend's sudden change of mind and behavior.

Waiting for his food and feeling annoyed already, Veneziano's eyes fell back on the tomato-shaped ring.

Ridiculous!

He turned the object in his hand, bored, and finding the wait for his order far too long. He had nothing else to do than look at that ring.

Italy brought it closer. Now, he could see the Jewell's engraved certificate stating that the piece of jewelry was actually made of plain gold and 40x 0,2 rubies.

Italy sighed and put it in his pocket. During these war-troubled times, no one was to refuse money, in any form it may take.

Author Note: Don't ask me who '_him' _is, I won't tell you yet. I'm sorry for Italy's fans. I don't dislike him, I just wanted to write something different.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: After Valentines

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: K+

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: One sided-Germany/Italy, Others pairings (you will see, haha!)

Warning: This is really something different. GerIta fans will probably hate this.

Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts. Probably some mature events in next chapters.

Grammar/Spelling mistakes due to English not being my first language. Corrections are welcome.

After Valentines. Chapter 2

A day that has been sweet and bright turned dull as evening fell. Tick layers of haze had crawled slowly over hills, then down across the meadows.

Germany walked at a good pace, slightly ahead of Austria and Hungary, obviously trying to get home as fast as he could, and clearly intending to remain silent all the way there.

Elizaveta looked at Roderick, eyes asking a question in the silent language those who knew each other deeply enough used, instead of words. Austria only shock his head discretely. If Ludwig didn't want to talk, then they had to respect his need for introspection.

At least, for now.

Meanwhile, there was a storm raging in Germany's head. He was walking straight home, like an automate, not caring about anything and anyone around him. He wouldn't have realized if the world ended right then, his inner world was too messy. This was certainly the reason why the haze on his country has turned into a tick fog.

If they didn't hurried up, they would never find their way anymore.

He was overwhelmed by conflictual thoughts and feelings. The human inside of him battling hard against the other part, the nation, that screamed for calm, order and reason. That part of him ordered his heart to shut up, to forget, to get rid of those feelings that were so incredibly out of place.

He had far more important things to worry about. He was in a war, he had a country to run, an Empire to create, peoples to take care of, a boss to answer to.

The nation was almost disgusted, unable to comprehend how this could have happened.

It was scolding him, calling him a fool, mentally slapping him. Germany was enraged.

And moreso, because the other part, the human, didn't want to listen. Confident in his feelings, almost at peace with his thoughts. His heart had strong arguments that couldn't be denied if only by reason itself! But the heart has its reasons that reason itself ignores.

The human in him was acting like a kid. He was right and it was like that! He pouted and ignored the rage of the other part, the nation. He thought that no one could possibly understand him, because they were all fools. The human part tried to comfort him. Full of hope, that part whispered to his conscious that everything would be alright. Ludwig was in love.

Unfortunately, Ludwig and Germany had to cohabit in a single individual who was feeling completely lost- and the fog wasn't responsible for it.

The two parts of himself couldn't help him answer his questions about Italy's feeling. The human part was blinded with love and the nation part was deaf to it. None could be objective enough to give him the answers he needed.

When the trio arrived home, the night was falling. Hungary, not wanting to get home too late, wished her friends good night. Germany went directly to his office, locking the door from the inside and Austria accompanied Elizaveta to the door.

-" Do you think he will be alright?" She asked him, even though she already knew the answer.

Austria sighed. " He'll eventually regain his reason." He said. He did know what was happening, but he couldn't comprehend how someone like Germany could have gotten himself in such a situation. " He has more important matters to take care of, he'll soon realize it!" He finished and gave his girlfriend a chaste kiss on the lips.

Roderick knew what love was; Of course, he loved Elizaveta. But their relations had not always been like that. A first, they were enemies, then their bosses had wanted both the Austrian and Hungarian nations to form an union against other enemies. There was no feelings involved in that union, only a mutual wish to preserve themselves and their peoples. Being nation, this was their first- and only- desire.

They were allowed to think for themselves only when neither their country nor their peoples were at stake.

Now, the Austria-Hungarian Empire was no more, but nothing prevented Roderick and Elizaveta to remain close friends and even lovers: That relation would have no consequences as long as they remained independent nations.

Unlike in a couple of human peoples, marriage was never wanted between nations, unless it came as a direct order from their bosses.

Germany must have been completely out of his mind to ask such a silly thing from Italy!

With that last thought in mind, Austria waved one last time at his friend and closed the door.

He wasn't really hungry himself but supposed that Germany had probably not gotten any food in that restaurant. He went to knock politely at the office's door.

-" Germany? Are you hungry? Do you wish me to prepare some meal?

After a short silence, the door half-opened, reveling a tired-looking German behind it.

-" I have a lot of work pending and I'm not really hungry." The blond said, with a dead voice. Austria only nodded, respecting his need to be alone, though noticing the messed-up look of the other: blond bangs falling like a curtain on his forehead, reddish eyes- Austria refused to believe he had possibly cried- and an overall dull expression.

-" Good night Austria. Turn out the lights when you go to bed." Germany closed the door right away, not letting the other man any chance to start a conversation.

The aristocrat did not insist- had no desire to confront Ludwig today- and decided to go to bed and have a look at the book he had acquired at the book store earlier that day: ' How to comfort a German man who has failed in his romance. For beginners'.

Meanwhile, in Italy,

-" Ve! Germany was right! That restaurant really serves good food!" Veneziano thought on his way back home. The delicious cannelloni meal he just had had cheered him up, making him forget the humiliation caused by Germany's silly behavior for the time being. Italy was smiling when he pushed the front door of his house.

-" Where have you been?" Romano had been waiting for him all evening. Of course, Veneziano had forgotten to tell him that he would go out for dinner that day. The southern part of their country looked angry, but the Northern part knew better than trust his brother's outer impression.

-"Ve! I'm sorry Fratello! I went to the restaurant tonight! It was a really nice place and the food was very good! I really have to take you there one day!"

Romano's expression didn't soften. " You were with that macho potato again, don't you?"

-" At first, yes, but he didn't stay for dinner! I didn't eat all alone though, because the waitress was really cute and she accepted to take her break to eat with me!"

Romano was somewhat relieved, but not entirely satisfied yet.

-" Why did he have to go?" He needed to ask, out of curiosity, and because he knew his brother better than taking him for the idiot Veneziano wanted peoples to believe he was.

Italy's smile faded for a short instant.

-" Germany was acting weird...I think he is sick or something. Mister Austria and miss Hungary came to take him away. I was relieved because Germany has been really scary today!"

-" How scary?" Romano knew that something- the kind of thing he would not like at all- happened.

-" Ve! He gave me this!" Veneziano reached in his pocket and took out the tomato-shaped ring.

Romano's eyes opened wide and he snatched the Jewell out of his brother's hand.

-" The hell, Veneziano! This thing is a mockery of taste! But it looks expensive enough...Though no one will want that!" Then he realized the implications behind the item. " THE BASTARD!" He shouted, obliging his younger brother to cover his ears. " How dared he? I will make him suffer until he'll want to jump out of his skin! I will chop his muscles one by one and drown him in his own disgusting blood, I will..."

Veneziano hugged his brother tightly from behind. " Don't, fratello! Germany is not a bad guy! It was probably an order from his boss. He would have never done that otherwise, he's my friend!"

Italy started crying then and it eased down Romano's anger immediately: he couldn't handle the sight of his baby brother crying. He turned around in the embrace and kissed his brother's forehead.

-" shh Veneziano, don't cry! I'm here, I'm here! I won't let him hurt you!"

-" But * Sniffles* Germany would never hurt me! Veee!" Romano found nothing to reply and just kept hugging his brother until he stopped crying.

Because he liked to see his brother happy and, to help cheering him up, Romano pulled out the Tiramisu he had made and they ate it together. The rest of the evening went on nicely. The two played cards and exchanged some memories. Romano ranted about that bastard Spain, Veneziano talked about his early times living at Austria's house and shared gossips about the aristocrat. they laughed until late hours. Distracted by the comfortable warmth of the present, Romano forgot about Germany. Veneziano was glad for it

Later on, when Romano would be asleep, Italy would rejoin _him._ He needed some advices, amongst other things.

A.N: I hope you like it so far. I know the story is a bit slow, but I like to keep it that way for now.

Please comment! ( and don't hesitate to criticize (wisely) )

In the next Chapter: 'How to comfort a German who has failed in love' and Italy going to visit that mysterious friend of his.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: After Valentines

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: K+

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: One sided-Germany/Italy, Others pairings (you will see, haha!)

Warning: This is really something different. GerIta fans will probably hate this.

Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts. Probably some mature events in next chapters.

Grammar/Spelling mistakes due to English not being my first language. Corrections are welcome.

Chapter 4

It was now late evening. One hour later, the old clock would ring midnight and the big house was quiet except for the whistle of the wind in the cold chimney. Germany was still locked in his office , it seemed like he would not come out. Roderick Edelstein started to feel lonely and bored in the cold, empty living room. He decided that his bedroom and the warmth of his bed would be a more comfortable setting to read his new acquired manual.

He knocked one last time at Ludwig's office.

-" Germany, I'm going to bed." He got no reply and decided not to insist. Maybe the tall German man would get out of that little depression of his and find his tongue back the next day.

Roderick climbed the stairs up to his room, let the door unlocked in case Ludwig would want to talk at least, and changed into his night clothes before sliding in his fluffy winter sheets.

He turned on the light, leaving only his bed post oil lamp as an only source of light, and opened the book titled 'How to comfort a German man who has failed in love, for beginner'

The book was written by a certain 'Lord Awe Some' , peculiar name to which Roderick didn't pay much attention. He skipped the author's biography, detailed over the first seventy pages of the book, and got directly to the preface.

_By definition, all Germans are awesome and thus, Germans never fail at anything._

Was the first sentence of the preface. Austria sighed and read on further.

_A German don't fall in love, A German lust after peoples but doesn't embarrass himself with stupid, un-awesome feelings such as love. _

_If a German cannot have the individual(s) he lust after by using the stupid but necessary usual courting methods, he will have to use force AND CONQUER THEIR VITALS REGIONS!_

-" Mein gott!" Austria wiped his face with his hand, wondering what the hell he was reading.

_If, even after he had conquered their vitals, the German is not satisfied, and still need to be comforted ( Tough German are not sissies and should not need to be comforted) you can use the followings advices to make him happy:_

_Beer, in large quantities_

_A generous amount of wursts and kartoffels _

_Give them your vitals regions_

_If, even after these awesome and effective advices, your German is still upset, it probably means that he is not German or that he is a stupid stuck up Austrian._

The rest of the book was a long list of the best German beers, a few recipes of how to accommodate wursts and kartoffels, and a few prayers addressed to Frederic II, the great.

-" Useless book!"

Roderick threw the book away, only to get out of bed, pick it up and stow it to preserve the tidiness and order of his room, and got back in bed, quite furious.

Though the book has been of no real help, Austria decided that, the next day, he would bought some beer and prepare a meal of wursts for his German...Friend?

Austria did not really know how to define his relation with Germany. He had been annexed to him, under Germany's insane boss' orders, but they could not be considered as married. Austria would certainly not think of them as such. They shared the same language and same roots, but they were culturally different, very different.

Both were descendants of Germania, could they be considered as related? Certainly. Cousins maybe? Roderick wasn't sure, but It wasn't really important.

Being forced to live in the same house, he couldn't ignore Germany's torments. For the sake of this house's tranquillity and also because Roderick felt concerned about his younger...relative?

Germany was a young nation, not even a century old (since he was Germany. But it was as if his life has started then. Holy Roman Empire was truly dead, Germany was someone else entirely ), and he had still so much to learn!

Austria was almost a millennia old and he had been through a lot in his long life. If there was someone who could teach young Germany something, it was him.

_And Prussia, _said the little voice at the back of his mind. But Austria shut it off: Prussia was old in age but he had never grown up in mentality, he would always be an irresponsible trouble-maker! The albino nation would never be a good mentor for his younger brother.

-------------------------------------------------------oOo--------------------------------------------------

In Italy...Or more exactly, on the Italian border.

-" It's unusual for you to come this late"

-" Romano was having troubles to sleep!"

Veneziano had waited for his older brother to fall asleep, but Romano had been turning in his bed over and over, unable to find rest. Annoyed, though he did not show it, Veneziano had to sing him a calm lullaby to help him fall asleep. To be certain he would sleep deeply enough, he had even given his older brother a glass of water spiked with a strong sedative.

Italy had waited a moment for the medicine to effectively knock Romano out, then he had jumped out of bed, remembered to put clothes on, and left the house, hoping his midnight rendez-vous had been patient enough to wait for him.

And there he was, on the border, with him.

-" Something you wanted to talk about?" The man asked, with that low voice of his.

-" Germany."

His mysterious date chuckled. " It's always about him, of course! Is that something important? Something that would matters?"

-" Hmm" Italy sneaked closer to him. " Apparently, he wants me to become one with him. Be it an order of his boss or a foolish idea of his...I wanted to have your input on this"

The man was honestly surprised and not a little amused.

"And? You said yes?" He laughed.

Italy hit him on the shoulder, playfully. " Idioto! Don't laugh of me! He made me look like a fool in that restaurant- the food was good, but everybody looked at me strangely after Ludwig literally jumped on me!"

-"Jumped on you?"

-" Yeah! Didn't even let me the time to answer him! Then he lost it. For a few minutes, it was as if his brain has died!"

-" Hoho! Maybe it did!"

Italy shock his head. "Hmhm! Austria and Hungary came out of nowhere and took Ludwig away."

-" I wish I had been there to see this!"

-" Me too, at least, I wouldn't have had to eat alone with that chick I met in the restaurant!" Italy moved even closer, until he was intruding in the man's personal space.

-" A chick, now! You're too attractive for your own good, sweet sweet Féli!"

Italy blushed at that.

-" Anyway, Benito (Mussolini) never mentioned this. This could either be a one sided decision from Hitler, in which case our alliance would be broken- because my boss will never agree to that- or it is simply a personal decision from Ludwig himself. Either way, I can't accept it! I feel betrayed!"

-" No nation would ever do something that foolish! Beware! If this is Hitler's wish, Germany could have to annex you by force! You have to take measures quickly."

-" I guess I have no choice. But I will need your help! I cannot fight him alone."

-" You'll come with me tomorrow, we'll talk to the others. Don't worry, I'll protect you and I'm sure they will too. All you need to do is convince them, and I'm pretty sure that you know what you have to do!"

Italy nodded. "Thank you. I'll do anything to protect my peoples!"

-" Of course, that's what we all want!" the man said. Italy smiled weakly, put his hand up around the man's large shoulders, pulled down until the other's head was close enough, then, kissed him on the lips.

A/N: Anyone can guess who is Veneziano's midnight date?

R&R Please! Comments encourage me to continue the story!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: After Valentines

Rating: For the whole story: M. For this chapter: M

Characters: Germany-centric, with a lot of Italy, Austria, Prussia and some others.

Pairings: Austria/Hungary, one sided-Germany/Italy, (smut) Italy/? , others pairings.

Warning: (too much orz!)This is really something different. GerIta fans will probably hate this. Will have a happy ending but a lot of angst before that.

Italy not being his kind and innocent self all the time. Emo Germany. Voluntary omission of some historical facts.

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAIN A DETAILED SEX SCENE ( YAOI: Two men together!) **No like, no read!^^

Chapter 4

Ludwig had fallen asleep on his desk, under the lamp which had long burned its oil. He had done one week worth of paper work in the course of the night, the tedious task helping him forget his troubles for a short time.

When, eventually, the work had been done, the desk dusted and the whole first floor of the house cleaned, Germany had found himself with nothing else to do to occupy his mind.

Once alone with his thoughts, there was nothing he could have done to prevent them to bother him again.

Then, a torrent of questions had came to his mind. He pushed away the most of those he eventually considered inappropriate: No, he didn't care to know what Italy was feeling about him, no he didn't want to know how it would be to be with him like that. No, he couldn't care less if Feliciano didn't sleep in his bed every night anymore. No, he didn't want to buy more dating advice books! No, he didn't care to know if Italy had liked the flowers he had given him or not! No, he didn't have his heart in a mess! No, he didn't want to cry about it!

But he did care to know what he would do the next time he and Italy would meet. How would he have to behave then? Should he ignore the subject? Excuse himself for the stupid move? Explain him that it was a misunderstanding?i _Ask him if he was angry or afraid, if they could still be friends? If they could be more than friends? If they could talk about it? Tell him that he had never felt like this before, for no one, never?/i_

Exhaustion had eventually taken its stroll and Germany had succumbed to sleep, leaving him with too much questions and no answer.

In the same house, upstairs, Austria was having a troubled sleep- certainly less troubled than Ludwig but still- He was dreading the next coming day, feeling uncomfortable already at the thought of the morning to come. He turned in his bed, restless, staring at the book in the shelf.

He wasn't really used to comfort peoples, never had to do so as far as he could remember.

Roderick quickly went to the conclusion that he needed help. He would call Hungary at the first hour of the morning. Awaiting for that moment to come, he eventually gave up to sleep. The first hour occurred, but he slept it off, and so it passed.

------------------------------------------------------oOo----------------------------------------------------------

( Author note: It's getting really PG 17 From here, so be warned!)

That night hasn't been the same for everybody, like the clouds that didn't reach all the way onward to the south, someone's sky was open and bright. someone's night was sweet and warm.

If Germany couldn't take Italy out of his mind, Italy, in an other hand, wasn't sparing a single thought for him. Like always, he busied himself with the present.

And that night, his present was of the sweetest kind.

Pale wrists were fastened to a convenient canopy bed.

-" Not too tight?"

-" Yes, a little."

-" Then it's perfect!" Italy grinned cutely and watched his work. He had not completely ignored Germany's training and he was perfectly able to tie knots. If he pretended to not be capable to tie his shoe laces, it was only because it was more easy to let Germany do it for him.

His now wrist-bound and naked victim was squirming under him, groaning a bit at the pain in his restrained arms. Honestly, he couldn't care less about it, and certainly when Veneziano bent toward him to give him a lips-cracking kiss. Tongues met, battled for dominance; A warning was given in the form of a bitten lip, and the man under Italy submitted, letting him full control over his mouth and his body.

Italy grounded himself on his prey, rubbing his still clothed groin against the naked, hardening, member of the other.

The bed squeaked. His victim wanted nothing more than embrace him,.

-"Shhh!" Italy put a finger on his mouth and latched his on an offered neck. Teeth grazed experienced skin, his victim wasn't a virgin, hasn't been for a long time. He could never be bored of it though, and Italy knew how to make each of their time together special.

If the others- those others who had wanted the Italian nation and those who still wanted him- ever got to know Italy like he knew him, intimately, they could never want anything else, ever.

As cheesy as it might sound, he really meant it!

He had had millions of partners, some that had been dear to him, but Italy had that warmth, that energy that none of them equalled.

He also had that hidden side, that dark side, that never failed to make him shiver in masochist delight.

Italy's hands traced recent bruises. Those had been given by the same fingers that were now caressing, reminiscing, wanting to leave a mark again. A red, erected nipple was twisted, the other, was nipped, then bitten, hard enough to draw blood and a scream.

-" Will I be obliged to gag you?"

The man shook his head, he knew what would happen if he dared to speak now.

Italy grinned and allowed him some relief for the time being. He sucked on the offended nipples, licked the droplets of blood that poured from a wound and kissed fresh bruises. But soon he got tired of this and wanted to be selfish. He moved decidedly over and up the immobilized body under him to eventually plant his knees on each side of stretched shoulders.

Then, he spread his knees, bucked his hips and sunk down on his lover's head, knowing perfectly that the other wouldn't mind.

There was nothing taboo between them, nothing they weren't willing to do together.

The point was proved when the other's mouth opened eagerly for him. Italy pushed himself inside of it and directly started to fuck the hot cavern, his hands closed around the bed's mounts, supporting himself.

His moans of pleasure were so worth it, his victim thought. A sore throat would be an insignificant price for the view and sounds he was blessed with. Italy moved over him, fast and hard, his small muscles tensed beautifully under the soft tanned skin of his abdomen, his mouth was open and a bit of saliva escaped the corners. His partner hoped he could do that to him one day, the only thought- a memory- of that mouth, moist and warm, around him, was making his cock twitch.

Italy let out quiet, and sometimes louder, little noises of pleasure. His rhythm never changed until the man tasted precum on his tongue, expecting and wanting more of it, but then Veneziano pulled away.

His lover couldn't repress a whine.

-" Not now, not yet! Let's keep this for later!" Venziano shushed him with a kiss and went back down on his body, barely touching him as he did so.

-" Ah please!"

A hard slap, and the man's cheek was red, the shape of Italy's hand printed on it.

-" Ah, you know the rules! No talking as long as your hands are bound!"

A nod. Italy pulled the other's legs over his weak-looking shoulders. He licked his fingers slowly, making a show of the act, as an apology for the violence he had inflicted to his lover? Maybe .

Or maybe it was only a way to further tease the impatient, burning of desire, laid bared before him.

Either way, he would only have what Italy was willing to give that night, but at the end, he wouldn't be disappointed.

Fingers were pressed against a tight entrance, two at once, confident in the experience of the other to know that, once again, he wouldn't mind.

The man's back arched and he let out a moan of need. Wordless expressions of pleasure were the only sounds allowed tonight, his hips dipped down, urging the intruding fingers deeper inside of him.

-" You are lucky..." Italy purred. "That I'm just as impatient as you, tonight!"

He removed his fingers and laid down fully on his prey, eager for a kiss that was more than welcomed. He pushed himself inside of the other, as swiftly as he had done earlier with his mouth, and gave a few experimental thrusts to gauge the readiness of his partner. He was more than ready, he could tell by the way that ass was sucking him in hungrily and the evident pleasure in the pleading groan of his lover.

Only then, he untied him.

Immediately, strong arms wounded themselves around his smaller frame and Italy's partner was now meeting each of his frank thrust with his own, hard, ones.

-" Ah Veneziano" He breathed, " you have no idea how many times I had to bite my tongue to not moan your name out!"

-" Do it all you want now, there's no more rules between us!" Italy's eyes were now glazed over by pleasure and need.

His thrust became faster and harder every time, they were given back the same way. Sweat rolled along the perfect curves and lines of their tangled bodies, their names were moaned, groaned and cried in turn. Their position changed: For a time, Italy's lover was straddling him and riding him, then he was on all fours in front of the Italian, short nails digging in his back. Later, he would be on his back, legs spread wide, indecent and not caring how he was having his pleasure and how he was giving it back.

He came first. Like always, never mind the place, the position or the moment, he was always the first one to succumb to orgasm. Italy needed more time, for some reason or no reason at all, it was just like that.

He came first, vision blurred by the intensity of his pleasure, body suddenly motionless, he screamed without shame. Not a minute after, Italy followed. His body trembled and his hips jerked, but his moan of bliss was almost silent. His lover didn't mind that silence, he was had learned to appreciate it. Italy's silence was a rarity one can only be proud to experience.

They fell next to each other, cuddling on the bed, in a silence only troubled by their panting breath.

Unfortunately, they couldn't spend the night together, only on rare occasions they had slept in each other's arms. This wouldn't happen that night: Italy had to go back to his house before Romano could realize his absence.

Veneziano stood up reluctantly, kissed his secret lover one last time, and got dressed.

-" Don't forget what we said." The other man reminded him.

-" I'll be there at noon. I will not have much time, so you better be ready when I come"

-"Of course".

On that, Italy left, ran home, as fast as he could run, and swiftly slid back in bed next to his- still fast asleep- brother.

---------------------------------------------------oOo------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Sorry, the identity of Italy's lover will remain a secret until the next chapter. I know this story is damn slow but the plot will shape up more quickly from now on!

Thank you for the reviews, please keep leaving them^^


	6. Chapter 6

Rating for this chapter: K+

Characters for this chapter: Germany, Italy, the allies, Austria and Prussia.

Warnings for this chapter: Dark!Italy.

Chapter 5

The next morning was rather grim in Germany.

Under a tick layer of high clouds, grey and heavy cumulonimbus rolled over the landscape, not leaving any space for the rising sun to announce itself for a new day of winter.

It was nine in the morning when Ludwig awakened, feeling stiff after a rather short night spent sleeping on his desk. He groaned as he stretched his sore muscles and the memory of the last day made him whimper slightly. A muscle- one that he couldn't stretch- was more painful than all the others and it was as if Ludwig noticed it for the first time: His heart.

Until now, the organ had just served his main purpose of being a blood pump, but that particular morning of February, there was more to it than just that.

His heart was no longer beating only to convey oxygen, it was now inhabited by someone.

The feeling was strange, alien, but not unpleasant. It had grown slowly over the past week and now it was there, fully nestled in his heart and mind: Love.

It was a powerful feeling, capable of much, something that can make you very strong or that can weaken you considerably. Ludwig didn't know that, he had never felt anything like this before, he knew nothing about it.

And, for once, he didn't try to analyse, he was just content to experience this new feeling. It felt rather good, he thought, to have these strange sensations whenever he was thinking about Italy. He couldn't really describe what he felt, only that it felt nice and warm inside.

It felt better than a warm chocolate during winter and even better than a cold beer during a hot summer day.

It was euphoria.

But it also had a dark side that brought confusion in his mind. There was too much questions he never asked himself before, too much doubts and angst. He didn't know what Italy felt, he couldn't begin to think of a way to introduce the topic to him.

He would not dare asking him bluntly about his feelings and he didn't know how to proceed on that new grounds.

How does one express his love? Ludwig had no idea.

He had nothing planned for the day; His work was done and he had tidied the house up during his sleepless night. He would not spend his day doing nothing though.

It was Monday that day and certainly the mail man- the special one sent by his boss- would have deposed something for him, papers to sign, plans to work on or assignments. Germany went to check his mail box and, like every week day, it was almost full. It was good, he thought, because he really needed to keep his mind busy.

After retrieving the mail, he went directly back to his office and locked the door once again. He didn't stop by the kitchen to make himself breakfast; he wasn't hungry anyway.

It was 10 am when Austria pulled out of sleep, nose in the pillow and a haze in his brain. He sat up in his bed, rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on his nose. Like every morning, he first got clothed then went down in the kitchen for his much needed morning coffee.

He was good for nothing without his daily dose of caffeine.

He made himself a pot. The warm, black liquid pouring down his throat had the effect of a balm. Certainly he couldn't live without this. It was a cheap little pleasure of life, the only one he wouldn't save money on.

Austria sighed. Of course he hadn't forgotten about the previous day and, by the look of things this morning, the problem had not solved itself in the course of the night.

Roderick didn't know what to do about Germany's distress. The situation was too foreign for him, he couldn't relate at all. He wasn't overly worried about it though: Surely Hungary could help, she had a certain talent to help peoples with their feelings ( France was good with personal relation advise, but he'd end up taking advantage of it. Also, France was in the other camp)

Austria filled his cup with a second serving of coffee and premised himself to call his girlfriend after breakfast.

In the middle of his third cup, someone knocked- rather loudly- on the door. Austria didn't react right away: He wasn't the owner of this house after all.

As no one went to open the door, the visitor decided to invite himself him anyway.

The door was pushed open wide.

-" NO ONE IN THIS HOUSE WILL GREET THE AWESOME ME?" was yelled to the empty hall.

Austria almost chocked on his precious coffee. _Why is 'he' here? Why now?_ He couldn't help but panic a bit at the unexpected turn of event and ran to the visitor.

-" Prussia! What in the world are you doing here ?(this early, this is really not like you!)

A smirk would be all he'd receive for a minute.

-" Kesese! Isn't that the stuck up 'young master'? Forgive me to have disturbed your ever boring day!" Prussia made a small bow to further insult him.

Roderick was used to this, to the point he didn't even frowned at the childish nation anymore. He just took an annoyed expression to tell the visitor how un-welcome he was at the moment.

-"Hello to you too, Gilbert. What do you want?"

Prussia threw his coat- not caring where it would land- somewhere in the hall, along with his black leather gloves. The double 'S' that showed up on his collar never failed to make Austria shiver slightly. Years later, he would always feel remorseful for these horrible things that, that one man, one of his own people, had done to the world.

-" I've heard things." Prussia shrugged. "I came to see if it's true."

-" What are you talking about?" Of course, Austria didn't invite Prussia in, they remained in the hall to talk.

-" I am talking about a certain German man that is said to "have failed in his fucking romance". What is that shit?"

-" I still don't see what you are talking about." Austria kept a blank face, wondering how Gilbert knew about it.

Something dangerous flashed in the albinos' eyes and he marched toward Austria. Before this one could react, Prussia had grabbed his collar tightly and was pulling him closer.

-" Don't play that outdated game with me, pretentious aristocrat, I have my sources and I'm asking you once again: What is wrong with West?"

-" How..How did you know?" Austria pushed Gilbert's hands away from him and smothered his crumpled clothes."

-" This is not the point!" Prussia calmed down. He wasn't going to tell how he had spied on the Austrian and his girlfriend the day before, nor would he admit that he had written the book Austria had bought in that library. " If my little bruder has a problem, who else than his awesome big bro could help?"

-" We don't need you! It's out of your competences!"

-" Nothing is out of my competences! I'm able of everything, got it? Also, no one knows West better than I do!"

Austria shook his head.

-" That's the problem: He's no longer the one you knew! I'm afraid he is being greatly confused by his feelings as we speak. He locked himself in his office and he won't come out, not even to eat."

-"Then it was true, he really is in love?"

Austria sighed.

-" I really hope it's not as bas as this! Maybe it's just a simple crush, on of those one can easily forget about!"

Prussia's facial expression waved slightly and for a very short time, but he went back to his arrogant self quickly.

-" Lemme handle this!" He said- and he wasn't asking for a permission- and marched past Austria toward Germany's office.

Roderick didn't stop him.

-oOo-

Romano was feeling ill that morning and, if he didn't know what had caused it, his brother knew very well.

Italy bit his lower lips: It was his fault. The sedatives he had given his older brother the day before had made him sick and now he was stuck in bed with a fever.

Unfortunately, Veneziano couldn't take care of him. He had this more than important appointment at noon that he could not postpone.

-" I'm sorry fratello, I really have an important meeting today and I can't stay with you!" He explained softly, attempting to cool down his brother's forehead with a wet cloth.

-" Veneziano, please! I don't want to stay alone!" Romano pleaded, his flushed face and sad expression making him too cute to resist.

-"Don't worry!" Veneziano gave him his most sympathetic smile. "I will call Spain, he'll take care of you!'

-"I don't want to see that bastard!" The Southern Italian coughed a little and rested his head on the pillow, looking away from his brother.

-" Listen!" Veneziano whispered. " Today, I have to talk to peoples that could be willing to protect us until this war is over. You see, it's important!"

Romano turned his head back toward him. " Hasn't that potato freak promised to help you when ever you would need him?"

North Italy looked down and Romano immediately regretted his words: He had forgotten about the previous day, the restaurant, the ring...

-" I'm sorry!" He tried to reach for his young brother. " I forgot."

-" It's ok!" Veneziano sniffed for the show. " Someone else is willing to do that"

-" Who is that?"

-" I will tell you later, when you'll feel better and when I'll be back from this meeting with more informations. Now I will call Spain!"

-" Veneziano WAIT!" But he was off already.

At noon, exactly, North Italy would meet _Him _again. Despite Romano's protest, he had left his older brother to Spain's care and now he was going to the meeting planned the night before.

-" Are they ready? Did you managed to get them to come today, all of them?"

-" Yes, it wasn't difficult: I just had to told them that there would be food for everybody."

-" You are smart."

-"Of course I am!"

When they entered the meeting room, everybody was present and eating already.

America lift his head from his plate of burgers and stared at Italy quizzically. He said something that no one understood because his mouth was full.

-" Why is Italy here?" England stood up from his seat and pointed at the intruder.

-" Calm down my friends, this is important."

_Let's the show begin!_ Italy though as he pulled out his signature weapon, a white flag on a stick, and waved it frantically in front of the allies assembled in the room.

-" Help me please, help me! help me!" He screamed and cried a fountain of hot tears.

They were staring at him, not impressed. Italy crying for help was a very familiar image.

-" Germany want to annex me! Please help me! Don't let him annex me! Help! Help!"

His lover put his hands on Italy's shoulders from behind and looked at his allies.

-" Gentlemen, please consider his demand. One nation more in our camp couldn't hurt!"

-" What makes you think that this is not a trap?" England asked, taking a sip of tea.

-" It's not a trap! It's not a trap!" Italy went on crying, shaking his head. " All I want is my people to be safe! Germany betrayed me! He won't protect me! Please! Please! Please help me..." He suddenly calmed down and said with a sweet voice: "...And I'll help you!"

England stared with wide-open eyes, America was mouth agape, Russia chuckled lightly, China couldn't care less and France squeezed Italy's shoulders lightly, whispering to his ear:

-" I'm so proud of you, my love!"

A.N: Now you know who is Italy's secret lover, who had guessed?

Also, I know that Italy is very dark in this story, and he will be even worse later, but his intentions are honourable: He just want to protect his people, that's what a nation should consider first, don't you agree?

There will be other couples later, I don't want to tell to preserve a little mystery. Thank you for the reviews and I hope you still enjoy this story despite my bad English.


	7. Chapter 7

Rating for this chapter: T because of Prussia's mouth.

Warning: some language, bad English, a kiss.

I am sorry: This chapter contains a lot of thinking and talking!

After valentines: Chapter six

After almost one hour trying, he had finally succeeded to remain concentrated on his task, and only that.

Germany was now deeply focused on his work and there was nothing else in his mind than work. Forgotten, the confusing feelings; Forgotten, the parasite thoughts. In the state of concentration he was in now, nothing else than his true – primary - function mattered.

His mind was 'at home' when focused on his nation's duties. But, of course, Germany didn't realize it.

That state of mind could be compared to meditation, a moment of intense, yet unaware, introspection. When Germany was taking care of his country's matters, he was taking care of his very self. But this was not an egoistical task, not when his 'self' represented millions of people.

Busy in his own universe, Germany was in peace with himself, again.

_'KNOCK. KNOCK' _

-" WEST! Guess who came to visit?"

Germany snapped out of his trance and glared at the locked door.

-" Bruder?" He squeaked out in a such un-manly voice that made him squirm uncomfortably.

-" So, will you let me in?" Prussia sung from the other side of the heavy door.

Germany cleared his throat. " Can't you come back later? I'm busy!"

-" West! My time is precious, I won't waste it waiting for you to open this door!"

-" Gilbert, please! I really need to finish this!"

There was no spoken reply, but the door was thrown off its hinges by a violent boot kick. The massive wood separated from its support with a loud crack, followed by an even louder bang when it collided painfully with the wooden floor.

Germany, still seated behind his desk, glared at his smirking brother who was standing proudly in the door-less frame, fists on his hips.

-" Now that this is settled, what about you welcome me as you should?"

Germany kept glaring at him and crossed his arms in deny, but Prussia couldn't care less and threw himself at his brother for a suffocating hug. He didn't look like it, but the Prussian nation was strong.

Germany hugged back a little, much by reflex, before pushing his brother away gently.

-" What is the purpose of your visit?" He asked, leaning back on his seat. Prussia sighed and sat up directly on Germany's desk.

-" Nyo! Don't talk to me as if I were one of your politician! I need no fucking reason to visit my little bro!"

-" I guess not" Germany simply said, eyeing his unfinished work insistently. Anyone else than Prussia would have taken the hint and left Germany to his work. But it was Prussia and he couldn't care less if his brother didn't get to finish his task at hand as long as Gilbert wanted to stay in his office.

-" I heard things" Gilbert said after a short moment of silence. He looked down at his nails as he asked, knowing that Germany would probably look away if he stared directly at him.

Ludwig was still staring at his documents but looked back at Gilbert when he spoke.

-" Heard what?"

Prussia grabbed at brief opener and removed some dirt from under his nail.

-" You're losing your mind." He said calmly.

Germany frowned, he took his tool back, wiped it on his sleeve and replied with annoyance. " I am not. What makes you think that?"

This time, Prussia looked at him.

-" I can tell only by looking at you!" Gilbert explained calmly. He was being serious here and he had no intention to mock his brother, not this time. " It's obvious you have had short nights lately..." He pointed at the dark skin under Germany's eyes. "Also, you have lost weight and you look tired, and not only physically."

Germany sighed deeply and lied:

-" I've had a lot of work these days"

Prussia hopped off the desk and walked around it to face his brother. "Don't serve these bullshit lies, not to me! Four-eyed pansy (he means Austria) told me everything.

Germany sighed again, in defeat, and looked away. Prussia smirked internally, he knew how to pull Ludwig' strings.

-" So, my little bruder is in love..." He said in a sarcastic, yet tender, tone he used back when Ludwig was still a kid.

-" I don't know."

-" Your timing sucks, West." Gilbert shock his head. "Now is really not the time for these kind of foolish feelings!"

-" As if I didn't know" Germany looked back at him and frowned. " It feel on me like...just like..."

-" A disease?"

-" Yeah, something like that. Do we really have to talk about it?" Germany lowered his voice, obviously embarrassed.

"Of course we have to! You need to snap out of it" Prussia " Before you got yourself in trouble!"

He didn't like the sarcasms-filled huff that Germany let out then. He didn't like it at all.

-" What?" The Prussian asked, frowning. " How far did you go in your fantasies, West?"

Germany glanced in his brother's eyes and bit his lower lips. Prussia had seen that face a long time ago, it was the face of a young boy who had just done something very bad.

-" West?" He enquired lowly.

-" Proposed him..."

-" Proposed what?"

-" I proposed him...With a ring."

Prussia whined. Yes, as out of character as it may seems, Gilbert Beillschmitd whined.

-" West! For fuck' shake! What had gotten into you to make you do such a STUPID thing?"

Germany looked down, ashamed. " I forgot."

-"You forgot?" Prussia tilted his head on one side, getting annoyed.

-" I forgot that I was a nation. Since I am dating him, I kinda forgot about the rest" He admitted finally.

Prussia stared at him, eyes wide.

"Dating? You two have been dating? For how long?"

Germany sighed-again- and told his brother everything. He told him about the red roses Feliciano had offered him on Valentines day, what he had thought was an unspoken declaration of love. He told him about the books he has spent the week reading in order to comprehend what 'dating' meant. And, finally, he explained what had happened when he had given the tomato-shaped ring to Italy.

He couldn't stop talking, feeling relieved to be able to confide into someone. He told Prussia about his confusion, the questions to which he couldn't find an answer, feelings he couldn't suppress or control.

Prussia listened, nodding from time to time and never interrupting. He just listened, looking thoughtful as his little brother spilled his heart.

-" I see." He said when Germany was done speaking. " You don't know how he feels about it."

-" He's confusing to say the least. I was never able to understand him, even before that!"

Gilbert bit his lips, thinking his next words carefully.

-" You know, if I understand well the situation, it seems that Italy and you have never really talked about it...Maybe the roses he gave you didn't mean what you thought they meant..." He said slowly.

-" What are you trying to say?"

-" Well, you know how Italy is...Maybe he didn't realize what he was doing. When you thought you and he were an item, maybe he wasn't seeing things that way."

Germany didn't reply to that right away. He stared at Prussia with a blank expression.

-" Are you implying that Italy and I were actually not dating?" he said eventually.

-" It's just a supposition. Anyway, he didn't react well to the ring, right?"

-" He looked scared, I don't understand why."

Germany put his head in his hand and let out yet another exasperated sigh.

Prussia ruffed his brother's hair and chuckled a little- he needed to do that to relieve himself from the tension. " Come on, West! You'll have time to settle things once this war is over, ja? Germany first, Ludwig later, all right?"

Germany shock his head. " Easy for you to tell..."

Prussia didn't like that reaction. He needed to do something, for the sake of a country that he was also part of, for an Empire that had yet to be built, for the sake of the new Europe's future. Personal issues could be taken care of later: There would be plenty time for this once the rest would be settled.

-" We need to talk you out of it!" He said, putting his hands flat on Germany's knees and leaning in. " You have other things to worry about! Seriously, West! And I am the one to tell you that?"

-" Of course, I know."

The lack of defiance in Germany's voice made Gilbert even more worried.

-" Is it a case of sex-deprivation or something?"

Ludwig stared at him, surprised. " What?"

-" Because if it is the case, it can be solved easily"

-" No, I..." Germany couldn't finish his sentence, Gilbert suddenly and swiftly leaned in, tilting his face to the side, he efficiently silenced Ludwig by pressing his lips to his forcefully.

If he had been confused before, there was no more word fitting his state of mind now. Ludwig couldn't really process what was happening exactly. Later it would be his excuse to why he had not reacted right away.

That kind of intimate contact was something he had never experienced before.

Of course, Germany knew what a kiss was; he had seen other people do that and he had read about it in his romance books.

But he had only a vague idea of what that particular gesture meant. It was something the men in his books did to the woman they loved, but he had no idea why they were doing that.

He had never really thought about it, never thought he would ever do it and he had certainly not expected that someone would ever kiss him.

Certainly not Gilbert.

By the time Ludwig had tried to analyse his situation, Prussia had gotten comfortably seated on his brother's lap, his tongue had sneaked in and was now exploring a warm mouth and caressing another tongue that didn't seem to want to respond. Gilbert didn't care, his mind was set in the present, enjoying the moment for as long as it would last.

Germany's first coherent thought was that the contact felt rather nice. He liked the warmth spreading in his limbs, the fuzzy sensations in his stomach, he enjoyed the sensitivity he didn't know his mouth had.

Be it by reflex or not, his hands moved to hold his brother's waist and Ludwig let out a low moan; His first moan of pleasure that wasn't caused by some delicious food, a fresh breeze in a particular warm summer day or a warm shower after a day of hard work.

He indulged into the kiss, not really realizing what he was doing. He liked how the tongue in his mouth was brushing against his. Tentatively, he responded to it and moved his tongue along his brother's, slowly.

Germany wondered how it would feel to do this with Italy and his mind made up his fantasy: Suddenly, He was no longer in his office, but somewhere in the open, on a bright day. The sky was blue, he was sitting under a flower tree, with Italy.

They had just finished their picnic and they had lied down for a digestive nap. But they weren't sleeping, no, they were looking at each other, smiling, moving closer and not even realizing it. Next, they were kissing, just like that. Of course they cared about nothing else than that, the moment too precious to be spoiled by parasite thoughts and Ludwig forgot again who he was for the sake of who he wanted to be.

The moan Prussia let out awakened Ludwig from his reverie. It was as if he just realized now what was happening, Prussia kissing him, his own brother!

The concept of homosexuality or incest didn't cross his mind. He was oblivious to them, because they applied only to humans and, contrary to them, he had received no education about these morale concepts.

But there was a voice in the back of his conscious, an insistent voice that sounded so much like his own, that whispered to him that what is was doing was completely and utterly wrong. Because Prussia was not Italy, Ludwig couldn't allow himself to keep that up. He remembered what he had done to Austria after he had read chapter 4. Panicked, he had jumped on Austria in order to learn the last lesson of his book as fast as possible. The experience had been disappointing and awkward and he'd rather not think about it ever again!

He didn't want to have that same uncomfortable feeling around his brother.

The hand on Prussia waist suddenly pushed him away, quite brutally. Not expecting that, Gilbert stumbled backward and fell on his butt in front of Germany.

Ludwig stared at him, silent for a brief moment, then he turned back to his desk and took his pen and documents, looking away from Prussia.

-"I really need to finish this" He declared with a neutral voice.

Gilbert blinked from his spot on the floor but he managed to stand up, keeping his legs from trembling, and walked toward the broken door.

-"I'll see you later, then." He said, leaving Germany to his work. There was plenty things left to be said, but Prussia knew he wouldn't find the good words now, and he wanted to spare West and himself some un-awesome situation. He would retreat now and leave Germany in peace for the time being. That evening, he would come back for dinner and act like his usual self to break the awkwardness.

Later, he hoped, they would be able to talk seriously about the whole situation. Germany needed help and Prussia wanted to find a solution, both for his brother and their country's future.

TBC

A.N: Sorry for yet another too short chapter! I know that this story is painfully slow but I'm more comfortable writing one scene at a time. I'll try to speed it up in the next chapters. Also, if you don't like the GerPru (or germancest) pairing, I will have to disappoint you because they'll be more of it later v.v


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